Centre, MCI seek review of SC judgment on NEET

The Centre and the Medical Council of India (MCI) have filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking review of the judgement declaring as unconstitutional the single National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) introduced by the MCI and Dental Council of India for admission to graduate and post graduate medical and dental courses across the country.

What was the Supreme Court’s judgement on NEET?

The apex court, in its July 18, 2013 judgement, had quashed the NEET by a 2:1 majority. The majority had held that MCI notification was in violation of Articles 19, 25, 26, 29 and 30 of the Constitution. It said that MCI is not empowered to prescribe all India medical entrance tests.

What are the Centre and the Medical Council of India (MCI) demanding from Supreme Court over National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)?

The Centre and the MCI want the Supreme court to review the judgement otherwise, as per the MCI, it will seriously prejudice the progress of the process of holding common entrance test which has been evolved over the period of more than five years of deliberations, judicial orders. As per the Centre, ensuring uniform standards for medical education was of paramount interest to the patient and the single-window system to draw the merit list was a step in that regard.

As per petitioners, the guidelines on NEET ensure that the single-window admission system would not be in violation of the rights of States nor would it interfere with rights of religious and linguistic minorities. They referred to minority judgement that had held that under NEET though the students can be selected only on the basis of their merit, it would be open to the States to follow their reservation policy and it would also be open to the institutions based on religious or linguistic minority to select students of their choice, provided the students so selected have secured minimum marks prescribed at NEET.